OPENING DAY!

On June 27th, the people of Winnipeg will be welcome to cross the street at Portage & Main!If you’re from outside Winnipeg, your response to the above statement might be: Huh?But if you live, work or play in Winnipeg, you’ll know that the walk/don’t walk debate has been one of philosophy, politics and, of course, misinformation (or “alternative truths” if you will).

At Green Action Centre, we were passionate Vote Open supporters back in 2018. You can read some blogs I wrote at the time here: Portage and Main: Tear Down these Walls! + Portage and Main Part 2: Beyond the Intersection

In these posts, I talked about walkable cities, a redevelopment scheme gone wrong, the costs of blocking off your downtown to people, and more!

The 2018 referendum was a tough one. It left those in Winnipeg’s centre feeling sour and frustrated. But, as Elmwood Guy pointed out on Dear Winnipeg, it also encouraged a lot of people to get more involved in advocacy and to  champion a better future for our city. I can certainly point to many butterfly effects from those I met back in those Vote Open days (including Elmwood Guy himself!).

June 27th will be the day we finally turn the page on the barricades. Already the intersection looks so much nicer without the dreary concrete walls. What are you doing on Friday, June 27th?

If you’re in Winnipeg, come on down and take a radical step (followed by a few more) and do what we should have been able to do since 1979: walk across the street in the heart of downtown.